Darkness, Death and the “Black Whole” – the Uranus-Pluto Square, Scorpio Solar Eclipse and Samhain

The Sun moved into Scorpio on October 22 (until November 21) – the season of deepening darkness when (in the Northern Hemisphere) the days grow noticeably shorter, the leaves change color and fall off the trees, and our animal bodies tune into the many images of dying around us and the reality of our own inevitable death.

Darkness has been vilified and banished from our modern world, in which death is the ultimate failure and the enemy of life, but to the ancients death was simply a precursor to rebirth. The dark times – whether the monthly dark of the Moon or the annual diminishing of the Sun’s light – were used for rest, regeneration, healing, magic, and accessing information that can only be obtained when we turn away from the distractions of the external world and drop into a deeper level of feeling and listening. Traditionally, during this time of year the veil between worlds is especially porous, we have greater access to our ancestors, to our invisible friends and allies, to the deep wisdom of our souls.

The darkness is especially intense right now, more than during your average Scorpio season. In addition to Sunday’s Solar Eclipse in Scorpio, Uranus and Pluto will form an exact square on Friday – their fourth of seven between 2012-2015 – signifying a culmination point in this ongoing process of death and rebirth. Pluto, God/Goddess of the Underworld, is the modern ruler of Scorpio, whose function is to reveal what’s been denied, repressed or hidden and what’s now stagnant, corrupt, diseased and robbing us of vitality and power. Uranus the Great Awakener, agent of revolutionary change, sparks awareness of these dark and hidden realms and calls for radical, creative action to free ourselves from the core patterns and paradigms that are killing us.

Ultimately, the Uranus-Pluto square signifies the transformation of our understanding and use of ENERGY and POWER. While there are many, many fine examples of how industrial civilization is destroying life on Earth through its misuse and abuse of energy and power, nuclear energy is to me the most explicit. The separation of Spirit and Matter – the underlying, ecocidal paradigm of industrial civilization – was literalized in the splitting of the atom, which first occurred just after the discovery of Pluto (plutonium).

We suffer the consequences of that action through the ongoing damage of nuclear radiation to our bodies and home planet, as well as the psychological trauma of knowing our world could be instantly destroyed by just one intentional or accidental detonation of nuclear weapons (see Eric Schlosser’s chilling new book, Command and Control) or a major nuclear power plant incident. Although shocking, it’s not surprising that the explosion at Fukushima occurred just as Uranus entered Aries and triggered the Uranus-Pluto square. And now, as the square again heats up, nuclear power is back in the news.

On November 7, CNN is scheduled to air a propaganda piece called “Pandora’s Promise,” which presents a one-sided argument that environmentalists should embrace nuclear power. (One of the film’s funders is invested in nuclear power, hence “propaganda” rather than “documentary.”) I know Americans have a short attention span and all, but… what the Fukushima?? The timing is especially interesting since, just as CNN is telling the world how safe nuclear power is, TEPCO will begin removing spent fuel rods from Fukushima’s Reactor 4, described as “an operation with potentially ‘apocalyptic’ consequences,” as radiation from the rods “matches the fallout of 14,000 Hiroshima bombs.” (Fuel Removal From Fukushima’s Reactor 4 Threatens “Apocalyptic” Scenario)

Astrologically, these events not only closely coincide with the Uranus-Pluto square and Scorpio Eclipse, but also with Samhain – the cross-quarter holy day that marks the midpoint of the Scorpio season (when the Sun is at 15 degrees Scorpio) and the halfway mark between Fall Equinox and Winter Solstice. Although commonly celebrated on November 1 (and manifesting in various forms such as Day of the Dead and All Saint’s Day – and Halloween), Samhain or Hallowmas technically occurs this year on November 6 (10:30 pm Pacific, for my fellow Virgos).

Samhain is the most powerful time of the year to honor the dead and commune with our ancestors. Because modern western culture denies death – worshipping youth, banishing signs of aging, segregating elders in “nursing homes” apart from the rest of society, etc. – we have lost connection with those on the other side. Malidoma Somé writes:

“In many non-Western cultures, the ancestors have an intimate and absolutely vital connection with the world of the living. They are always available to guide, to teach, and to nurture. They represent one of the pathways between the knowledge of this world and the next. Most importantly – and paradoxically – they embody the guidelines for successful living – all that is most valuable about life. Unless the relationship between the living and the dead is in balance, chaos results.” (Of Water and the Spirit)

We are living that chaos. Instead of facing death and relating to the dead consciously, the culture enacts its underlying death urge by creating technologies that destroy the planet, along with relentless acts of violence in various other forms. Because Matter has been divested of Spirit, because Spirit has been relocated to some ethereal realm “out there” rather than inherently infused in physical form, what was once related to and expressed energetically – through ritual, magic, ceremony, intention, prayer, meditation, art – must be literalized.

As the signs of death and destruction multiply and amplify in the external world, let us remember and reanimate the tremendous power we hold within ourselves. Instead of buying into – funding and fueling with our mental, emotional and spiritual energy – either stories about the end of the world, or fairy tales of denial, let the deepening darkness pull us thoroughly into our true source of power, our own spiritual authority and our connection with the invisible, infinite realm of pure consciousness.

I recently watched genius physicist Nassim Haramein’s The Black Whole, which gave me a new understanding of these Uranian-Plutonian themes around energy and power. Haramein makes the point that since 99.9999 (etc.) percent of the universe is made up of “empty space,” maybe we should be paying more attention to it! Instead of following the lead of generations of physicists who fudged their equations and failed to account for what they named “dark matter” (hmmm…), Haramein’s work has focused on uncovering the structure of “space” and he discovered that, instead of being “empty,” this space actually contains infinite energy. He’s working on developing free energy technologies, liberating us from the ridiculous “choice” of whether to destroy the planet by burning oil or splitting atoms. (And of course free energy technology has existed, and has been suppressed, since Tesla.)

Applying these insights in our own lives means that, if you’re exclusively tracking the external-world story, you’re going to lose the plot. What’s happening at the level of consciousness, at the level of our feelings and intuition, and through our connections with the invisible – this is where the real action is taking place, and this is where we can access our power to transform. Let’s embrace this remarkable opportunity for some serious MAGIC. As Haramein says, “This is the ride we’re on, and I invite you to be a full participant.”

- Emily Trinkaus

p.s. I gave a talk about the Eclipses last week in Portland, and you can listen to it here.

28 Responses to Darkness, Death and the “Black Whole” – the Uranus-Pluto Square, Scorpio Solar Eclipse and Samhain

Beautiful Emily, and so timely of course. Today as I spend some time in deep contemplation, pulled deeper and deeper into the energy of this time, I am reminded of the hallowed rites and rituals of so many spritual traditons…time and need for honoring and acknowledging the connections between that which has passed beyond our understanding and vision and that which remains to be revered and lived out. Time that our deep inner knowledge be awakened, and that we contmeplate and receive the guidance we need to both give and receive as we awaken individually and collectively to the call that is revealed around and within us.

Enchanting and informative as always Emily! I know we are not being told the truth regarding all the nuclear disasters we have encountered. I went to a lecture at NCGR this summer that featured the cycles of Eight – Lunar month, solar year, and saturn cycle. She spoke at length about Samhain. I am born on November 6, 14 21 Scorpio, so it is auspicious that it falls on my birthday this year! It is interesting that with a scorpio stellium and an active pluto I do not care for Halloween. As a child I liked the candy but found the entire process scary and I avoid it as an adult. Perhaps a change in perspective may be in order

Wonderful article, Emily. I just finished watching part 1 of the Black Whole. What a great mind, Haramein! Wow! Thanks for the link and info. I’ll watch part 2 when I can face all the ads that you can’t do anything but let them run.

Thank you, Zuzanna! Oh too bad about the ads… I had watched Black Whole on Gaiam TV, but you need to be a subscriber. There may be another ad-free version of it out there in internet land?? Happy Samhain to you! xoxo, Emily

THANKS FOR THIS LINK EMILY — I made it through the ads in part 2 — could NOT stop watching it! Check out my FaceBook page for a post on this and views of paintings that I just made a couple of months ago — the Haramein videos shed light on “my/our” images that came out in the 5 almost identical paintings. Search: Margaret Welty on Facebook.
YOU are SO WELCOME in my LIFE. MUCH APPRECIATION for your writing, insights and posts!!!http://www.margaretwelty.com

Thank you so much So how do we relate that for people in the southern hemisphere where we’ve just come out from the dark and the days are getting longer and lighter? I love reading your posts but I have trouble sometimes applying that to the varying seasons, thanks again.

Well, you would be coming into the opposite cross-quarter holy day – Beltane. I know, it is a tricky question, since western astrology is based on the tropical zodiac and the seasons of the northern hemisphere… To be honest I have not really reconciled the question!

Here in Australia, 225 years after European settlement, some of the old pagan rhythms have become significant days in our nation’s calendar. We celebrate Beltane on the first Tuesday of November…the Melbourne Cup. The day that all Australia stops for a horse race. The flowers! the fashion! the horses! The Cup is sooo Beltane. Sooo springtime fertility.
And six months later, when you in the northern hemisphere celebrate Beltane – 1st of May – we have just commemorated our own festival of the dead, on the 26 April each year – Anzac Day, the commemoration of a massacre of Australian and New Zealand troops at Gallipoli, Turkey in WW1. Cities and towns across the country host dawn services and solemn, grey memorial marches by serving service men and women and their descendants. That is truly our Day of the Dead.

“…the underlying, ecocidal paradigm of industrial civilization – was literalized in the splitting of the atom, which first occurred just after the discovery of Pluto (plutonium).” Been thinking about this for some time, and am so glad to read your wisdom gem. I agree. Lately I’ve been saying, “you can tell we’re in an age of destruction because the atom was split and Tibet fell.” Love your description “ecocidal paradigm”. And another big thanks for your excellent readings.

Reblogged this on apothecarysgarden and commented:
I rarely ever, (never), reblog someone else’s post, however, Emily Trinkhaus presents with ease, many of the concepts I struggle to express daily. Though the topic is Halloween, Sawain, and our shift to the dark part of our yearly journey, it is clear that this is when we can best see the dark side of our society. How we have separated our material world from the spiritual, dry chemistry from living Alchemy, nature and spirit, severed from science, favouring youth over age, sweet over bitter, and have created detached, impersonal relationships with the world around us. We mass produce our food and animals at a distance, separate ourselves from our connection to nature’s rhythms, to work 9-5, 365 and wonder why depression and disease are rampant.
The coming dark months are perfect for introspection, slowing down and stepping back from our external preoccupations. Who knows what illumination and insight we might find within, if we embrace the darkness just as we embrace the light?
There is a reason and a season for all things, and time for a glimpse in between them.
Happy Halloween!

As a Scorpio with Pluto squaring my sun I feel these changes deep in my soul. I’ve been going thru rapid cycling with my Bipolar disorder and nothing stops it but my own will and introspection, and then giving in and changing my attitudes. The dark has always been my companion and will always be. It’s a good balance and I dance in both worlds, often at the same time. Life is interesting when we embrace our shadows and inner selves.
Thank you for this thoughtful post.
peace,
Steve